Be a part of the change

Before I even start this post I must mention that eventhough I don't live in Delhi as of now but I am a Delhiite. I am neither a fan nor an anti of Delhi government.

Off late I have been getting so many forwaded messages and jokes regarding Odd-Even car rule to be implemented in Delhi from January next year and listening to all the negative remarks from the very citizens of Delhi and other parties opposing and making fun of this rule. Something which really put me off was a statement made by a citizen of Delhi who casually asked the media person - "how will traffic police implement the rule with lakhs of cars on the road? Kaise pakadenge galat car?" My question to him and several others like him - why do you want policemen to ensure this and catch you with the wrong car? Are you quizzing them? Is this rule being implemented for them? Why can't YOU be honest ad implement the rule? YOU are the one who is breathing that toxic air. YOU are the one who is gifting this polluted air to your children and future generation along-with numerous diseases. YOU make a major chunk of the culprits to increase the pollution to such a high level. 

How many governments have you seen in the past who have even given a serious thought or taken any solid steps to curb the pollution? I can't remember any. Planting small saplings during a school function is not what I am talking about. I hated AAP government when they unnecessarily politicised lot of unwanted issues, when they left the people of Delhi in lurch. But I thought about this rule implementation for the entire day yesterday but couldn't think of any political advantage that they are getting out if it. If there is any, call me ignorant. 

For some time, don't think about which government is implementing it, think of the benefits that YOU might get. Don't keep on cribbing for losing some of the comforts by driving your car on alternate days, find out ways to implement it. Go out, know your neighbors, find out if they can drop you to your office or somewhere close by. Talk to other team members who sit across your cubicle. Do the car pooling. Use public transport. Use Metro. 

We have so many amazing people who create hundreds of unrequired yet jazzy apps, put up on Play Store to earn money. Now is the time for them to create something useful to help in car pooling. 

I hope ambulances and other emergency vehicles are exempted from this rule and so wish that this rule includes car of VVIPs and VIPs (though its a waste of hope). Beijing implemented this rule within 2 days of notice. We are getting at least a month. Find out alternates, come out of comfort zones. YOU are going to get a bit more of fresh air. Be a part of this change!!!!

Dear God... ooops... Google

I am there - on almost all social networking sites, including Twitter. So, if someone follows you on Twitter, you are excited and you immediately check their profile. I did the same and found this very interesting picture on his wall.

Google has transformed our lives. You are under stress, you launch Google and type "ways to reduce stress". You need a sample resignation or last day mail, you search Google. You are not recollecting a famous actor's name, start searching randomly about him, you are sure to get the name. Good or bad is a question. Sometimes I think we were better without it. I would rather talk to my mom to reduce the stress than Google it. I would rather use my brain to write something sweet on my friend's birthday greeting card than search on Google for "nice birthday quotes". I would rather talk to my baby's doctor for ways to make her eat properly than google on "ways to handle a picky eater". Tax my brain to remember someone special's birthdays and anniversaries than use Google calendar. 

But now, I can't even think of life without Google or Internet at large. Though I don't have any research as my source to put it here but I am sure that new generation or I should say those who are more exposed to Internet or Google have slower learning power and memory rentention capabilities. Those who are still not much exposed to these mediums remember lot of things and are quick learners and enjoy their lives out in the open, under the sun. 

Oh, and this platform where I am writing all this - Blogger - is from Google too... Jai Google Baba ki!!!!

Incomplete mail...

Yes. This blog is to complete my last day mail at my last organization. Won't name the company but this is for my group: CA group (will call it CA group throughout this post). After spending almost 4 years there I was finding it hard to write a short parting mail. From past few months though, I had not been enjoying my work there for various reasons but my office had become an integral part of my life, my routine. I wrote in my last day mail that I would rather write a blog about it than writing a 2 page Last Day mail. So, here it is:

 

Joined the CA group in August, 2011 right after the Independence Day and there started my journey of endless learning, discussions, tense moments, laughter sessions, team lunches/dinners/outings and what not. I am a much better person and professional now - more confident now. I can't forget the endless discussion sessions with the engineering team, the conflicts, the roadblocks - all of these helped me learn lot of technical aspects as well of the products I was working on.

 

I still remember my first DEMO to the US based audience. Before joining CA group, in my previous company, I had given lot of trainings but the audience was the rural population of India - to be given in pure Hindi. Demo started, my voice was shaky and all of a sudden things started to go wrong. A test call which was expected did not happen. People were running to get that call but it would take time and till then - I put myself on mute. I had nothing to talk about. No backup plan. Next day, my then manager - Nagesh - scolded me and told me to always have a backup plan and be prepared even if that means to write down my speech on a piece of paper. Always have some chit-chat stuff handy - like weather conditions of US, how things go wrong in demo, what technical/functional implications are there etc etc. That day onwards I never go to any training session or demo without preparing myself and checking the systems if they are ready for the demo.

 

The first big launch or Go Live and when we went to the client's place. Reached there by 4:30 PM IST since business starts from 5:00 PM IST. From 4:30 PM till 2:00 AM, we were up on our toes running from one corner to another solving issues being faced by the agents of the client. Following few days were tense since those issues had to be resolved during the day time and on the floor support to client during the night time. But it was so satisfying when our group was hugely applauded for the launch.

 

The planning for the outings/lunches/dinners, last day of some colleague, speeches, samosa-sweets for any trivial to big occasion, the gossip sessions, leg pulling, story grooming sessions, fights between Dev and QA teams, taking a tough stand, finding new odd nicknames of any interesting character, eagerly waiting for free cake on every Friday - Thanks to Pooja, poking nose in discussions about a mobile game (which I have never played) which my friends were part of (some clan - Hot thing)...

It was when I had put down my papers and slowly people coming to know about it that I realized that I had made so many friends there who were kind of shocked to know that I am quitting. Now that I am almost settled in the new place, I am missing my office going routine. Though, as a complimentary gift, I am getting to spend more time with my daughter and hope to spend more time for blogging.

Every journey has some happy and some sad moments. Same was the case with CA group. As the team grew and the management changed, the fun factor was fading away. Earlier to that, I was always engaged in the planning of any outing but then, the interest went away.
Had to witness a Pink Slip drive where I lost at least 3 people I so closely knew. That was a heart breaking day. And another saddest moment - when we suddenly lost our manager - (late) Dr. Ashok Kallarakkal. It was so hard to believe; more so since just a day prior to his untimely death, we had talked at length about so many things. Till now, there has been no day when I have not thought about him - a gentle soul - May he rest in peace. But life moves on.

Jhaheman, singprac, chandrsa, kamathan, gandhike, repaka.... hahaha, these are not the names but the network IDs of my friends. That's how we used to call each other. I got a name there - Strict Teacher. No idea why this name was given to me by one of the team members (probably because I came across as a No-Nonsense person during story grooming sessions) but you getting a nickname means that you have made some influence over few of the people.

Oh, I am missing my office; my gang... May they be successful and no more Pink Slip drives.  

Life is Uncertain...

On last Thursday my manager, Dr.Ashok, came back from his hometown after 2 weeks of vacation and we spoke at length about his vacation to my home state Rajasthan, his books, how I can get into professional writing, what I should expect from the new place where I am moving, him gaining 2.4 kg of weight due to awesome food prepared by his mom, his daughter's Bharatnatyam performance and on Friday morning we lost him due to sudden heart attack...

He had a wife and a 10 year old daughter. Now only I came to know more about his family and I can't concentrate anywhere else. Everytime I go to the pantry, I see his empty chair. Unbelievable...

Last month, one of my distant cousins who got married 9 days ago lost his life due to heart attack. Another cousin's wife too lost it to her heart.

I am scared to the core now. Not for my death but what impact it might have on my family, specially my daughter. I am now not feeling any guilt of taking a break from my job because that would mean spending more time with Navyaa. God forbid, if something happens to me the next moment, who will take care of her, will she even remember me once she grows up, how will my family react....???

Everytime something like this happens, we think about it for some time and then forget it and move on but ever since Friday I just can't get over this. Have lost a good man, a good friend of mine.

Lessons learnt: 

1. Spend time with family

2. Don't carry any grudge for long

3. Don't work like a dog in office at the cost of your health - no deadline is that urgent that it should cost you your life

4. Leave office right there once you step out of office. You have another life to live then. Attend to it.

Lot of people love you much more than your boss or client. If you die, it's a big loss to your loved one. Company will immediately replace you after observing a minute of silence...

Dr. Ashok, this post is dedicated to you. May your soul rest in peace and may God give all the strength to your family in this difficult time.

Generation Gap!!!!

Today as I was waiting for my cab along with a fellow cab mate of mine, something strange happened. Normally this type of complaint comes from elderly people about their younger generation but today it was the other way round.

This cab mate of mine (honestly, I always felt something strange about her and just FYI she is of my age or may be younger than me) - let's call her CM - and I were waiting for our cab. Just then one SUV stopped in front of us... just a bit ahead of where we were standing and the Husband and Wife (I hope they were husband and wife) kissed each other, as in Lip Lock.

Just then Madam CM hit her forehead with her palm and exclaimed - "Aiiyyyyoooo!!! Rama Rama..." and something more in Telugu. When I looked towards her with zapped look she explained - "this generation you see, all corrupted. Why do you have to kiss each other? Do that in your bedroom". Just then the Lady from the car got down and crossed the road. Madam CM - " ... and see, she looks much older than us". Then she crossed her hands and touched her ears as if saying sorry to God on their behalf...

When I again looked at her to tell her to just chill, it's normal, she gave me an offended kind of look and explained that if these people are so open, what will our children learn...??!!!

I mean, first, they are husband wife who are kissing EACH OTHER. You are safe. That man has not violated your modesty.

Second of all, they are doing it inside THEIR car.

Third of all, it must be their personal way of saying bye to each other.

Fourth of all, growing old does not mean to stop loving each other (I was pretty glad thinking about their strong love relationship).

So you see, I was pretty amused to see a young(er) girl complaining about so much of openness by her elder generation.... 

Happy 1st Birthday to my Angel...

She is soon gonna be ONE... From past so many days I have no other time pass activity apart from going through all her photographs and videos. The day and the moment - still fresh in my memory when I went into the Operation Theatre and when she was born. The first time doctor put her on my chest. I had the most precious gift of my life - I had a Daughter. 

She has become naughty, she tests my patience but all my tiredness and my tension goes up in the air when she 'talks' strangely - roll her tongue and continuously say - laka laka laka laka... When she sleeps, she is the most innocent looking being on this earth... Its looks like the goal of our lives to make her laugh...

I and Mr. Husband have since then only talked about her, thought about her, fought for her. We know that she is not going to remember anything about her First birthday but we want to make it memorable. We have plans and our closest family members are joining us. 

Many more to come and celebrate. I wish her all the happiness, good health and secure world to live in... I wish Navyaa the Very Happy First Birthday (thats not today btw).

Vidaai

Why do brides and their parents , specially Bride's Father, cry on her Vidaai??!!! 

Personally have got through The Moment and I had my reason - well I was hospitalized for Jaundice few days before my wedding and I felt that I badly screwed up the mood and the event. So, I was kinda sorry for that. 

Having attended 3 weddings in the family in past 2 months and witnessing The Scene recently made me think about it. Why do they cry? 

Parents had always been looking for a suitable match and when they have found one and he is taking their daughter, why cry?? 

Everyone had agreed on the "good" family and the boy, then why cry?? 

It cannot be about the huge hole in the pocket made by wedding arrangements which is hurting them, then why cry?? 

Their daughters have anyways been staying away from them for so many years for studies or job. So why is parting away making them cry now?? 

Its that anxiety which kills them... how will our little princess win over so many expectations which her in-laws will have from her from THIS very moment? How will she handle so many things single handedly when we have always been around her to help her out? Will this family and boy seriously keep her as happy as we had kept her? Will she be allowed to visit us that frequently? It seems like yesterday when she was born and all of a sudden she is going away to a different family... we haven't been able to spend much time together. When will we spend that carefree time again with her? 

My daughter is about to complete just first year of her life and I already feel like killing myself when I have to almost close the door on her face to attend a office call. It is so hard for me already to say Goodbye to her when I have to leave for office. It's the happiest moment of the day when I reach back home and she runs towards me to climb up in my lap. True that I some times have to shout at her but to think about it, she does all that for fun and as part of her learning curiosity and that shows my lack of patience. 

Let's wait and see for myself when my daughter goes away with her future family...

Not a good start :-(

The year 2015 has not kicked off on a very good note. I wished for a peaceful year but half way through its very first month and I had to witness the layoff drama in my company for the very first time in my life. I didnt get the pink slip and i am safe but i have lost 3 of my good friends and one among them being someone i respected a lot as a sincere and hardworking employee. 

What hurts me even more is that he is being portrayed as a Non Performer, the reason why company showed him the door. He actually paid the price of foolish tactics of the company. 

On one hand, they had recruitment drive few months back when all of us wondered the need for so many people. On top of that, they kept on recruiting MANAGERS... 1 manager for every 4 employees??!!!  why dont promote these employees to become manager? why not recruit people who would actually work - managers dont work. They manage and create ppts and invent new rules to be implemented within the team...

with these unacceptable reasons given to hardworking employees to be shown the door, no wonder all of us are living in fear with anger within us. But cant blurt it out since we have families to take care of and we dont want to lose our jobs... What a blackmailing game it is...